Sack NLA Boss for Wasting Public Funds – Stakeholders Demand

The Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Mohammed Abdul-Salam, has come under intense scrutiny following damning findings in the Auditor-General’s 2025 Report, which uncovered procurement breaches and revenue collection lapses that exposed the Authority to financial losses and the waste of public funds.

The report revealed that the NLA allegedly awarded a GH¢400,000 publicity contract to online news platform MyNewsGH.com through a single-source procurement process without obtaining the mandatory approval of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Board.

The disclosure has sparked outrage among some stakeholders in the lottery industry, who are demanding the immediate dismissal of the Director-General, accusing him of reckless waste of scarce public resources through alleged procurement irregularities.

According to the Auditor-General, the contract, signed on September 1, 2025, covered publicity services, including the publication of NLA-related news stories, advertisements, promotional campaigns, and interviews on lottery products and draws.

The Authority paid GH¢400,000 for the 10-month contract, with GH¢370,000 disbursed after the deduction of GH¢30,000 as withholding tax.

The audit found that NLA management failed to obtain the required approval before resorting to single-source procurement, in breach of the Public Procurement Act.

The Auditor-General warned that the violation undermined transparency and competition in the procurement process, making it impossible to determine whether the Authority obtained value for money.

The report recommended that sanctions under Section 92 of the Public Procurement Act be imposed on the officers responsible and urged management to ensure strict compliance with the law in all future procurements.

In its response, NLA management acknowledged the audit finding, stating that the contract had expired and assuring the Auditor-General that due process would be followed in future procurement activities.

GH¢1 million Outstanding

The report also uncovered another major lapse involving unpaid contributions amounting to GH¢1 million owed to the Good Causes Foundation by 16 Private Lotto Operators (PLOs).

According to the Auditor-General, the operators failed to honour their contractual obligation to make annual contributions to the Foundation, thereby depriving it of funds earmarked for social intervention programmes.

Although NLA management claimed it had recovered GH¢700,000 of the outstanding amount as of August 30, 2025, the Auditor-General noted that no documentary evidence was provided to substantiate the alleged recoveries.

The report cautioned that the failure to recover the outstanding contributions could adversely affect the implementation of planned projects and undermine the Foundation’s ability to achieve its social intervention objectives.

Consequently, the Auditor-General directed NLA management to recover the full GH¢1 million and enforce strict compliance with the terms of the provisional licence agreements signed with all Private Lotto Operators.

The findings have intensified calls from sections of the lottery industry for decisive action against the NLA’s leadership, arguing that public officials found to have breached procurement laws and failed to safeguard public funds must be held accountable.